Going crazy with the serger

I have not been blogging lately because I've been busy sewing, or should I say, serging, instead! I've re-discovered knits because of my new toy, the serger my mother-in-law gave me. It is a breeze serging seams instead of sewing them and I love the professional-looking finish I get on the inside of my garments. Also, it is very easy to stabilize the shoulder seams and the neckline with clear elastic by feeding it into the serger foot.

My first dress made with the serger is this pattern (#129) from the June 2009 Burda magazine:



I made it from a aubergine 100% wool jersey and the weather turned cold enough briefly for me to wear it once last weekend:



Dave actually likes this one, despite the gatherings at the waist, which he says usually make me look like I have something to hide. He says that the gatherings in this design look good, for a change!

Following the dress, I decided that I needed more knit tops, so I made this interesting one with the puffy sleeves (#118) from the February 2009 Burda magazine:



Here's my version, and I love it for the fit and how comfortable it is to wear:



Then, because the weather got cold briefly, I decided I needed a long-sleeved top, like this one (#114) from the October 2009 Burda magazine:



Here's my version:



Dave dislikes this one, he says the gathers at the front make me look pregnant, but the girls at work complimented me on what a nice top it was. I think it's not really one of my favorites, but it is very comfortable to wear so I'm sure I'll wear it a lot. Dave also wonders what the tab is for, and what would happen if he removed it. The answer is nothing, it's just a design element; it looks like it's holding the gathers together but it doesn't really do anything structural. It actually gave me a bunch of problems, I installed it incorrectly and while I was ripping it out, I ripped a hole in the garment. Luckily, 1. jersey doesn't fray, and 2. I had read about someone repairing a tear by ironing on a piece of fusible stretch interfacing over the tear, which I did and then I stitched the tab over it and now it is hidden. My goodness, that could ruin your whole day, finishing a garment and then tearing a hole in it at the last step!

I also made this cute flounced-sleeved top (#106 from the January 2009 Burda magazine) but haven't worn it yet so I don't have pictures to upload:



And lastly, although I made the following dress a while ago, before I got the serger, this seems like a good place to post a picture, as it has become one of my very favorite dresses. It's from the January 2010 Burda magazine, dress #130:



My version is made out of stretch velvet and lined with brown cotton/lycra jersey. Because it is lined, the inside of the dress looks nice and there are no exposed seams. I wear this dress everywhere whenever we go out!



Next I think I'll do something different for a change, some short-sleeved, collared tailored tops from cotton or linen wovens for the summer. Stay tuned!